2011-5
21

One Trillion Dollars – Just how much is that…

Category: Interesting Finds | No Comments

OK don’t ask how or why I was looking for this 🙂 but I found it interesting enough…

ZeroHedge has an article by Michael Victory entitled “What Does a Trillion Dollars Look Like?“.

To Quote the site:

Firstly: When trillion becomes old school, what will replace it?

Next: How do a trillion dollars stack up?

The illustration starts with a $100 dollar bill. Currently the largest U.S. denomination in general circulation. Most everyone has seen them, slightly fewer have owned them. If you in South Africa, think of the R100,00 note in comparison…yes I know the exchange rate is different but work with me please…

A packet of one hundred $100 bills is less than 1/2″ thick (1.27 cm) and contains $10,000. 100x $100 bills can fit in your pocket easily and is more than enough for week or two of shamefully decadent fun.

Believe it or not, this next little pile is $1 million worth of bills (100 packets of $10,000). You could stuff that into a grocery bag and walk around with it.

While a measly $1 million looked a little unimpressive, $100 million is a bit more respectable. It fits neatly on a standard pallet…(now you know why a pallet is so wide).

 

And 1 billion bux… now we’re getting somewhere…

And finally..

$1 Trillion dollars…

Excuse me quick while I go play the Lotto…

(Source: ZeroHedge)

2011-5
20

Hardware: HP MicroServer Specs

Category: Hardware | 4 Comments

The HP ProLiant MicroServer (as it is officially known) is an excellent “starter” or home server.

The official website link can be found here.  To quote the site:

You have multiple versions of files floating around the company and maintaining control of document versions is becoming a challenge – there is no central data storage. You need to improve communication and work processes with employees or customers. You want to make sure that you can make the most of your existing computers and office equipment.

The HP ProLiant MicroServer is a general purpose server that can provide a platform to organize and safeguard your business information, allow effective communication with customers and make the most of your existing office equipment and resources. The HP MicroServer is a cost effective starter server for businesses with less than 10 clients and it can take your business to the next level of productivity and efficiency.

They have a detailed specification website that can be found here.  To briefly quote the site:

At A Glance

Processor:

AMD Athlon™ II NEO N36L
AMD RS785E/SB820M chipset

Memory:
Two (2) DIMM slots
1GB (1x1GB) Standard/8GB Maximum, using PC3-10600E DDR3 Unbuffered (UDIMM) ECC memory, operating at max. 800MHz

Storage Controller:
Embedded AMD SATA controller with RAID 0, 1
Embedded AMD eSATA controller for connecting external storage devices via the eSATA connector in the rear of the server

Storage Drive Support:
4 Internal HDD Support Maximum internal SATA storage capacity of up to 8.0TB (4 x 2TB 3.5″ SATA drives)

Network Controller:
Embedded NC107i PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Server Adapter Expansion

Slots:
Slot 1: PCI-Express Gen 2 x16 connector with x16 link
Slot 2: PCI-Express Gen 2 x1 connector with x1 Link
Slot 2-2: PCI-Express x4 slot for optional management card

USB 2.0 Ports:
Seven (7) USB 2.0 ports: 4 front , 2 rear, 1 internal (for tape)

Power Supply:
150 Watts Non-Hot Plug, Non Redundant Power Supply

Management:
Optional MicroServer Remote Access Card

Operating System:
Supports Windows and Red Hat Linux

Form Factor:
Ultra Micro tower

Warranty:
This product is covered by a global limited warranty and supported by HP Services and a worldwide network of HP Authorized Channel Partners. Hardware diagnostic support and repair is available for one year from date of purchase. Support for software and initial setup is available for 90 days from date of purchase. Enhancements to warranty services are available through HP Care Pack services or customized service agreements. Hard drives have either a one year or three year warranty; refer to the specific hard drive QuickSpecs for details. NOTE: Server Warranty includes 1 year Next Day Parts replacement, 0-Years Labor, 0-Years Onsite support. Additional information regarding worldwide limited warranty and technical support is available at: http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/platforms/warranty/index.html.

The server is VERY quiet – officially 22db, my Linux box next to is the one making all the noise now. 🙂

Next post will be the unboxing…

At A Glance
Processor:
AMD Athlon™ II NEO N36L
AMD RS785E/SB820M chipset
Memory:
Two (2) DIMM slots
1GB (1x1GB) Standard/8GB Maximum, using PC3-10600E DDR3 Unbuffered (UDIMM) ECC memory, operating at max. 800MHz
Storage Controller:
Embedded AMD SATA controller with RAID 0, 1
Embedded AMD eSATA controller for connecting external storage devices via the eSATA connector in the rear of the server
Storage Drive Support:
4 Internal HDD Support
Maximum internal SATA storage capacity of up to 8.0TB (4 x 2TB 3.5″ SATA drives)
Network Controller:
Embedded NC107i PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet Server Adapter
Expansion Slots:
Slot 1: PCI-Express Gen 2 x16 connector with x16 link
Slot 2: PCI-Express Gen 2 x1 connector with x1 Link
Slot 2-2: PCI-Express x4 slot for optional management card
USB 2.0 Ports:
Seven (7) USB 2.0 ports: 4 front , 2 rear, 1 internal (for tape)
Power Supply:
150 Watts Non-Hot Plug, Non Redundant Power Supply
Management:
Optional MicroServer Remote Access Card
Operating System:
Supports Windows and Red Hat Linux
Form Factor:
Ultra Micro tower
Warranty:
This product is covered by a global limited warranty and supported by HP Services and a worldwide network of HP Authorized Channel Partners. Hardware diagnostic support and repair is available for one year from date of purchase. Support for software and initial setup is available for 90 days from date of purchase. Enhancements to warranty services are available through HP Care Pack services or customized service agreements. Hard drives have either a one year or three year warranty; refer to the specific hard drive QuickSpecs for details.
NOTE: Server Warranty includes 1 year Next Day Parts replacement, 0-Years Labor, 0-Years Onsite support. Additional information regarding worldwide limited warranty and technical support is available at: http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/platforms/warranty/index.html.
2011-5
19

Hardware: HP MicroServer

Category: Hardware | No Comments

Today brings a new section to this blog, namely Hardware.  In it I will be posting about computer hardware that I have purchased or looking at purchasing in the hopes to help you decide if you want to purchase as well.

In February 2011 I was looking at a small form factor server, something that could replace the Windows Home Server that I had built up 2 years previously.

My “server”, consisted of a Full Tower Case (that has fulfilled different roles over the last 12 years), Foxconn Mars Motherboard, P4 CPU, 2Gb RAM, 6x Seagate 500Gb SATA drives (those crap ones that were recalled due to firmware failure).  All this was running Microsoft Windows Home Server (version 1) quite happily – but far from quietly.  With the server just idling in my study I could hear the hum in my bedroom…

When one by one the Seagate (crap) hard drives started failing I realized I needed an easier method to remove failed drives from the system.  So I started looking around.  I wanted something that was:

  1. Quiet – I did not want to hear if from the bedroom never mind in the study!
  2. Small Form Factor – but could take at least 4 Hard Drives
  3. Ease of Access – be able to replace a failed drive in less than 5 minutes (and not strip the machine down to the bare metal)
  4. Low Power – I scheduled my server to shutdown at 01h00 and automatically power on at 17h00 to conserve electricity.

I looked at Lenovo’s, and Acers, and the HP range of MediaSmart servers.

The Lenovo’s were not available in SA, and then I heard would be discontinued.  Acer I have been a bit weary of due to warranty issues in the past and also that were not officially supported/available locally. As I was leaning towards the HP MediaSmart servers HP announced they were discontinuing the range…

I was running out of options and started looking at buying a mini-tower case and getting an Icydock 4-in-3 SATA bay enclosure, when HP came to the rescue and released the HP Proliant MicroServer.

In February, HP released them locally and they were priced at R2999.  I was on the verge of purchasing one then when all of a sudden the “doors started closing on the deal” and I took it as a sign not to get one – even though my heart yearned for one…(ask my wife if you don’t believe me)

Fast forward to May 2011.  HPShop sent me a promotion email for the MicrosServer – this time only R1299 INCLUDING VAT!  (Update 27/05: They updated their website and the link to the special below is no longer working – but Elmarie at PC Palace can assist (Tell her Michael referred you and she will make a plan on the price 🙂 ))

I contacted my local retail supplier and asked if they could beat or match the offer – they said they match, so I got a colleague (Richard)  in on the deal and we each ordered.

In the coming posts you will read about the specs, unboxing, setup and overall impression of the HP MicroServer.

Till next time…

2011-5
18

Old Man of the Lake

Category: Interesting Finds | No Comments

Reading a title like “Old Man of the Lake” would normally not make me want to read the article, but when I saw what the “old man” actually was I could resist and read it.

The picture above is of the “Old Man of the Lake” that is actually a tree stump that floats vertically for over 100 years in Crater Lake, in central Oregon.  A blog entitled “A Blast From The Past” has an interesting article about this tree stump.

To Quote:

“It would not be difficult to argue that Crater Lake, in central Oregon, is the most beautiful body of fresh water in the world. The lake, which is almost perfectly circular in shape, in unquestionably startling. It sits at the top of a 7,000-foot-high dormant volcano and fills its crater. It is about six miles from side to side, a remarkable 2,000 feet deep (ranking it ninth in the world in terms of depth), and is almost entirely surrounded by cliffs that rise to heights of well over 1,000 feet above its chilly waters. No rivers or even streams flow into it; the lake is filled entirely with snowmelt and rainwater, and though it practically glows indigo in the North West’s summer sunshine, its water is actually so crystal clear that plant life has been found merrily photosynthesizing on the bottom at depths of 300 feet.


What makes Crater Lake unique, though, is its most celebrated occupant: not a fish, not a bird, but a floating tree trunk known familiarly for decades as the Old Man of the Lake. And what makes this ancient hemlock so very remarkable is that it has been bobbing, absolutely vertically, in the water for as long as Crater Lake has been documented. The Old Man has certainly been there for well over a hundred years, since the earliest known reference to it dates back to 1896 – and while its stump, two feet wide and bleached white by many years of sun, has lost a little of its topmost parts during that time (it used to project five feet above the surface, but now, thanks largely to the habit tourists had of jumping from their boats onto its tip, it has lost the top foot or two of its superstructure), this has not affected its stability. Like an iceberg, the Old Man hides most of its bulk beneath the surface; those who get close to it can look down and see some 30 feet of barkless trunk stretching down into the depths of the lake.”

Do yourself a favour, check out the article on how it was first documented in 1883, first photographed in 1901 (see the photo) and see how researchers tracked the movement of this old stump.  Link: http://allkindsofhistory.wordpress.com/2011/05/09/the-old-man-of-the-lake/

I thought it was an interesting article and that is why I am sharing it with you.

(Source: A Blast From The Past)

2011-5
17

Uses for Fake Transcend 32Gb Memory Sticks

Category: Eish! | 1 Comment

From the Eish! DepartmentOk, so you realise that the “bargain” you bought at the robots is not really a 32Gb Transcend USB Memory Stick, but a low quality knock off worth far less than what you paid for it….believe me after the anger has subsided for being ripped off you will start looking for ways to try and get some sort of “value” from them.  That is why I put together todays post.

Your options are:

  1. Return it to the street vendor who sold it to you (good luck with that one…)
  2. Find a brick/hammer/heavy object and destroy it (can be therapeutic…)
  3. Make “lemonade from the lemon” and find a use for it (that what we gonna do today…)

First Step:

You already know that your memory stick is not really 32Gb in size but most likely less than 1Gb in size.  If you have not tested the drive yet, do so with one of the following apps:

Windows: H2testw by Harald BĂśgeholz
Linux: F3 created by Michel Machado

I ran F3 on the “32Gb” flash drive I had purchased and it reported that only 768Mb was USABLE on the drive…so I know now that I should not use more than 700Mb.

I suggest that you delete all the partitions on the flash drive and make a new partition slightly smaller than your reported usable space.  Format this so that you have a drive letter and “usable” space.  Remember you don’t want to be using this drive for anything important like your photos, will etc…

Lets Mod!

The last thing that you want is to be reminded of the experience everytime you look at the flash drive, so lets change that!  Obviously cracking open the “Transcend” housing will not bring a tear to your eye, so what do you have to loose?

1800Recycling has an article on how to change the appearance of flash drives, check out these and other cool ideas:

Check out more examples at: http://1800recycling.com/2011/01/recycled-usb-flash-drive-mods/

Admit it – that looks pretty cool and add some “value” to your purchase.

What Software To Use with Fake Flash

Obviously you should never use this drive to store information on that you would prefer never to loose. But lets put this sucker to real use – remember your usable size of the device will determine what software can be loaded…

1. Load an Alternative OS:

– WattOS – http://www.planetwatt.com/ – lightweight Linux OS (580Mb)

– PuppyLinux – http://puppylinux.org – lightweight Linux OS (128Mb)

– DamnSmallLinux – http://www.damnsmalllinux.org –  lightweight Linux OS (50Mb)

2. Rescue your PC:

– Hirens BootCD – http://www.hirensbootcd.org – ultimate tool (512Mb+)

– BartPE – http://www.nu2.nu/pebuilder/ – run Windows as a LiveCD (512Mb+)

3. Portable Apps:

Portable apps are apps that run on a PC without the need to install it on the PC…check some of these lists.

– PortableApps.com – great selection of apps

– MakeUseOf – 100 great portable apps

– Hongkiat – 70 portable apps

 

Well with all these inspiring ideas above there is no need to feel depressed about being ripped off.

Now go make “lemonade from your lemon” …. 😆

2011-5
16

Monday Mix – GIF’s…

Category: LighterSide | No Comments

Not the usual Monday Mix, but anyway…stumbled across this website that has a bunch of animated GIF’s.

For those of you who don’t know what a GIF is, it is a format of picture that is generally low quality (so smaller in size) than other formats like JPEG or BMP, but what makes GIF unique is that a GIF can contain multiple images…

Here is an example of an animated GIF…

Come on! Not even a smile? 🙂

How cool is that…

For more animated GIFs check out – http://weird-gif.livejournal.com

(source: Weird-GIF)